America³
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| 300px | |
| Career (US) | Yacht Ensign of the United States |
|---|---|
| Name: | America3 |
| Owner: | America3 Foundation, West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Builder: | Goetz Custom Sailboats, Inc. |
| Launched: | 1992 |
| Homeport: | San Diego Yacht Club 25px |
| Honors and awards: |
Citizen Cup, 1992 America's Cup, 1992 |
| Fate: | On display |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 23.77 m L.O.A. |
| Beam: | 5.45 m |
| Draft: | 3.96 m |
America3 (pronounced "America Cubed") is the name of both a racing yacht and syndicate that vied for the America's Cup in 1992 and 1995.
1992 Cup victory
The program was operated by Bill Koch and Harry "Buddy" Melges in the 1992 America's Cup. After winning the Defender Series, America3 defeated the Italian challenger Il Moro di Venezia to successfully defend the Cup.
1995 Cup defense
In 1995, Bill Koch revamped the program to begin the first all-female, America's Cup boat. America3's successor, Mighty Mary, was on its way to the 1995 America's Cup, in the lead of the last race of the Defender Series over Stars & Stripes. But with a commanding lead of nearly 5 minutes, Dave Dellenbaugh (the only man on the otherwise all-female crew) committed a crucial tactical error and Stars & Stripes skipper Dennis Conner made a series of moves to beat Mighty Mary to the finish line by scant seconds. After winning the Defender Series, Conner opted to use the third syndicate that year, Young America, to defend the cup, losing to Team New Zealand, 5-0.
Current status
In 2010 the yacht resided at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island on permanent display outdoors.
